The Albany Gazette - Western powers warn Haiti against changing PM amid turmoil

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke Friday with Alix Fils-Aime and "emphasized the importance of his continued tenure as Haiti’s Prime Minister to combat terrorist gangs and stabilize the island," a State Department statement said.

The European Union, as well as the individual governments of Germany, France, Spain, said in a post on X that "any change at the head of the government just days before the end of the Presidential Transitional Council would jeopardize the encouraging momentum of the security forces against criminal gangs." Canada issued a similar post.

Haiti has been blighted for years by such gangs, which commit murders, rape, looting and kidnappings. The poorest country in the Americas has not held elections since 2016 and been governed by transitional authorities that have failed to curb the violence.

The situation has worsened since the beginning of 2024, when gangs forced then-prime minister Ariel Henry to resign.

Five of the seven members of the Presidential Transitional Council want to remove the prime minister before the scheduled end of the council's term on February 7, and appoint an interim head of government.

The council's president of the CPT opposes the move, which comes amid plans for legislative and presidential elections this summer.

Haitian security forces are currently conducting a large-scale offensive against criminal gangs and have dislodged one of their most notorious members, Jimmy Cherizier, also known as "Barbecue."

"The current violence caused by gangs can only be stopped with consistent, strong leadership, with the full support of the Haitian people," Rubio said, adding that the council must be dissolved February 7 "without corrupt actors seeking to interfere in Haiti's path to elected government."

"The United States will ensure there is a steep cost for corrupt politicians who support vicious gangs and wreak terrorism on Haiti," it added, without elaborating.

(A.Thompson--TAG)